[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 10 January 2022].
a bed of roses
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 2 January 2022].
new lighthouse [dungeness]
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 28 December 2021].
a low ebb
2020 had its challenges, but I’m not going to lie. For me, personally, 2021 was a bitch.
I’m not going to expend more energy expanding upon that topic in this post.
I’ve tried to stop giving oxygen to elements in my life that proved to be unhealthy this year. Possibly for the first time in my whole life, that involved cutting ties with an ex-partner.
While this year has been a hard one for many reasons, there have been definite highlights.
And, especially when I was sick with Covid-19 back in July, I was overwhelmingly reminded of the brilliant global support network I have. I’m still gobsmacked by that. To those of you part of that network, both family and friends (and I’m sure you know who you are), I send you my love, and I’m forever grateful for you.
Before things went a bit more than pear-shaped this year, I managed to complete another 100 Day Project starting on 31 January 2021. I had a proper go at sketching every day. And, while I don’t profess to be a master illustrator, even after those 100 days, I created some not so terrible drawings.
The 100 Day Project for the coming year will start on 13 February 2022. I’ve had a few ideas of what I’d like to do, but we’ll see which one I settle upon.
Through my Patreon, I shared writings from my attempts at NaNoWriMo in 2009 and 2016. These are still rough second drafts and are currently only available to patrons.
I shared curated series from my sepulchre work, mushroom photographs, and travel photography.
I started my series of love letters to london, which I’d hoped to complete in 2021, but I will continue into 2022.
This year I took self-portraits for the first time since mid-2018 and have shared some that continue my interior/exterior series or fall into my new wallflowers series. I already have images from the latter to share in the new year.
I won’t bore you with my plant progress this year but suffice to say, my indoor plants fared better than the garden.
And I wrote actual handwritten letters for the first time in decades, inspired (or guilted?) by my friend Phil.
The things I let fall by the wayside this year were reading (beyond news articles of varying lengths) and language studies. Both I want to get back into in 2022.
In May, I unexpectedly found myself confronted by what is believed to be the oldest tree in London. A beautiful yew, she may be 2,000 years old.
She was more impressive up close than from a distance. I’ll share more close-ups of her beautiful contours in the new year, though I shared one previously.
In May, there was also a pleasant day out in Hertford. Exploring the source of the New River and wandering along the River Lea. Though there was also a bull charging me for photographing him!
In October, Scott and I explored the section of the New River (not new, not a river) between Hornsey and Finsbury Park.
At the end of 2020, I wasn’t overly hopeful for much travel this year. I would have settled for a weekend away somewhere within the UK.
Thanks to one of my longest-suffering friends, Phil, I visited Chichester and Bosham (first image in this post),
Itchenor
arundel cathedral
and Arundel.
untitled #203
And thanks to a cat-sitting gig for Jo and Becky, I was able to visit Minera,
untitled #144
Coedpoeth
and Wrexham.
However, the most unexpected and surprisingly fulfilling element of 2021 for me was becoming a cat-sitter.
Growing up and into my 20s and beyond, I was always a dog person. I couldn’t fathom cats. I would have said honestly at one point that I hated cats. So cat-sitting was not even close to being on my bingo card for 2021.
But really, in retrospect, I think it was more that I didn’t understand cats.
A chance pub quiz with friends led to me becoming a cat-sitter for the first time this year, and it’s something I hope to continue into 2022 and beyond.
There are side bonuses, like exploring new areas of London and beyond and locations for shooting self-portraits. And going “on holiday” but being paid for it.
But I’m not going to lie that the kitteh snuggles are lovely, and winning over an anxious or difficult kitteh brings a particular buzz with it. (Though I would be all good with less claw-to-skin action in demonstrations of affection…)
So, in order of appearance, here are the cool cats I’ve met this year (apologies for the photo quality with some. I hope to get better photos of them in future!)
Shiloh
Susie
Bao
Paczi
Meg
Mog
Sammy
Lily
Poppy
I’m not going to chance my hand predicting what 2022 will hold. But I have credit for travel that will hopefully take me back to Wales and Scotland, so that’s a positive start.
Anything else is a bonus.
I hope your 2022 is better than 2021.
untitled #246
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 24 December 2021].
living on bridlington time
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 21 December 2021].
half-eaten
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 11 December 2021].
untitled #30
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 13 December 2021].
for no one knows his dying day
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 5 December 2021].
you're living all over me
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 3 December 2021].
sister
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 7 December 2021].
untitled #19
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 5 December 2021].
shelf life
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 12 November 2021].
sunday graphic
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 20 October 2021].
fell into the sea
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 18 October 2021].
Hello, my lovelies!
I'm ever so sorry for the radio silence! It's been a manic week or more, and I'm desperately trying to catch up at the moment.
Please bear with me over the next couple of weeks while I'm completing two more kitteh-sitting gigs and working from the laptops of my clients.
I'm fortunate to own a 27" 4K iMac, but I'm currently working from a standard 27" monitor and a 13.3" Macbook Air screen. Neither of which are calibrated. So apologies if things look awry (though I'm sure I'll notice the issues more than you!)
My current wards are two devastatingly cute but mischievous characters who are only five months and one year old, respectively. So they require more wrangling and attention than my last gaolers. As a consequence, it's taken me a while to get myself back on track after relocating last Thursday afternoon, even though I'm only an hour's commute from my home.
After a false start at the beginning of September, I now finally have an excellent new flatmate joining me on 1 November, so the past week has been busy with the admin required to make that official.
I also spent a chunk of last week completing some design work for a client.
And I managed to sneak in a self-portrait shoot in the second bedroom in my flat before it becomes occupied again. I look forward to sharing some of those with you in the coming weeks! It's shocking that I've lived in the flat for about five and a half years but had not managed to shoot in there until recently because it was almost always someone else's space. And when it wasn't, I was away from home.
I also have quite a few self-portraits remaining to share with you from my time in Shepherd's Bush.
I may manage some self-portraits in my current location in Wandsworth. But I'll have to see how confident I feel about putting my camera and tripod at the mercy of two kitties prone to cutting laps in hot pursuit of each other.
I'm also hoping to get out and about one day this week to explore the local and Battersea areas.
My next kitteh-sitting gig - starting straight after this one - will take me to Wales! My first time back in another of my ancestral countries since 2001!
That holds the promise of potential self-portraits but also the opportunity to explore the area a little. And the company of two "furry idiots" I've been assured are low maintenance but prone to bringing "gifts" to their owners in the form of moles and mice (another potential photo opportunity for me, of course!)
Meanwhile, tonight I'm sharing a full-length photo of the grave at the Holy Trinity Church in Bosham I shared in a previous post, going overboard. The inscription aroused quite a lot of interest across my social media accounts a couple of weeks ago when I shared it there.
It reads:
In Memory of
THOMAS son of Richard and Ann
BARROW, Master of the sloop Two
Brothers who by the Breaking of the
Horse fell into the sea & was Drown'd
October the 13th 1759. Aged 23 years.
Tho Boreas's Storms and Neptune's waves
have tos'd me to and fro
Yet I at length by God's decree
am harbour'd here below
Where at an Anchor here I lay
with many of our Fleet
Yet once again I shall set Sail
my Saviour Christ to meet.
layer upon layer
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 9 October 2021].
Today was a good day.
Scott and I explored the New River (neither new nor a river) from Hornsey to Finsbury Park and took a lot of photographs.
One of my favourite ways to spend a Friday. Or any day, really.
september reflections
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 6 October 2021].
It's been a very mixed three to four weeks.
About a month ago, I predicted September would be a month of impermanence. At the time, I thought that due to being temporarily in residence with two kittehs on the other side of town.
Instead, it ended up feeling more like a month of constant minor upheavals.
On only my second full day in Shepherd's Bush, I had to return to my own flat to meet a fellow assessing maintenance to be done. Later in the month, I had to return two days in a row to be around while the maintenance was completed.
I was generally okay with this, as it was expected, and I knew I'd have to pop back once or twice a week to water my plants anyway.
However, when I relocated to be a live-in cat nanny, I was relieved I wouldn't have to schlep back and forth across town for flat viewings, after all. I believed I had a lovely new flatmate lined up to move in the day after I returned from Shepherd's Bush and could concentrate my time in the West on photography, cats and client work.
Unfortunately, by the fifth full day, it became apparent that my potential flatmate had gone AWOL midway through the referencing process. So I was unexpectedly thrown back into advertising the room and arranging viewings - with three viewings taking place on two days shortly after.
Between the various visits for maintenance and potential flatmate viewings, there was also a long weekend jaunt down to meet Phil in Chichester. Our trip had been planned months before the cat-sitting gig landed in my lap.
My first actual holiday since returning from Australia in November 2019, I had hoped it would be a chance to escape reality. A long weekend of sightseeing, photography and good conversation.
While it was full of sightseeing, photography and good conversation, I wasn't really able to relax and escape reality. Not with all the other things constantly throwing my days into turmoil and minor upheaval on either side of the trip.
Throw in a health scare with my Dad, and September was stressful and exhausting in many ways.
At the other extreme, September had some quite enjoyable moments:
Spending an afternoon entertaining good friends in an actual house and getting to show them all the quirks of my temporary abode.
Spending time and having engaging conversations with the chatty kittehs. They were the perfect distraction when I needed it most during my stay (and the rest of the time).
Having my friend Don just around the corner for late-night rambling chats in person as well as by phone, and even getting to visit his 'bat cave' finally.
Having the chance to explore Chichester, Bosham (pronounced Bozzum), Itchenor (captured above) and Arundel with Phil and our cameras.
Being inspired by art exhibitions and long conversations about art, writing, travel and life.
As previous posts illustrate, I also managed to take my first "proper" self-portraits since June 2018.
Unfortunately, with the aforementioned minor upheavals and other commitments, I didn't have much time. Not nearly enough time to explore the many set-ups and ideas I'd had whirling around my mind before relocating and while I was in situ.
I was also limited by practical issues. Such as the multitude of outfits I had to hand not fitting and not having enough cash to hit up the local charity shops for alternatives.
I was also disappointed not to have had more time to explore the other creative ideas I'd planned to indulge in: collage (physical and digital), sketching, writing, reading, letter-writing, as well as poring over the vast collection of books bursting out of the shelves promising further inspiration.
An actual residency without other concurrent commitments and distractions would have given me more time and freedom. The time and opportunity to indulge my numerous creative ideas and take better advantage of all the quirks the house and its surroundings offer. And even manage some time to relax and fully enjoy the house as well.
Perhaps sometime, the kittehs will have me back for a period of uninterrupted creativity when I better fit into my clothes and my own skin.
For now, though, I already have another kitteh-sitting gig in south London lined up for a week later in the month. I'm not guaranteeing I'll produce self-portraits during my stay there. But it will give me a chance to explore a new (to me) area of London with my camera and befriend some more cute kittehs.
going overboard
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 3 October 2021].
jarring
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 28 September 2021].
Hello, my lovelies.
I'm so sorry for the radio silence the past week or so.
I have a lot to update you on. And I had hoped, finally, to do so tonight.
But I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment for various reasons. I feel like the kittehs are feeling the same way tonight. Everything feels a little on edge.
Tomorrow is my last full day of cat-sitting. I'll return to my flat sometime on Thursday.
I'm hoping to spend most of tomorrow and perhaps some of Thursday taking self-portraits. Something I've ended up not having very much time for during my stay, unfortunately.
But tonight, as the rain falls, savouring the company of my feline companions feels like the right thing to do.
Where rain is usually my calmative, I'm finding it slightly anxiety-inducing and distracting tonight. It's jarring for someone who loves the sound and smell of rain to feel like this.
his end was peace
[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 13 September 2021].
It's been a crazy busy few days.
I have so much to tell you.
New friends to introduce you to, as well.
And, hopefully, tomorrow I'll have a new self-portrait to share with you and can share a little of my new assignment with you!